


Night Fever

by chelseahotel



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Everyone is like 17-18, F/M, M/M, Monsters, Multi, Other, Pining, Polyamory, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn, Summer Camp, Underage Drinking, i don't know what to tag, just guys being dudes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 15:55:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16066436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelseahotel/pseuds/chelseahotel
Summary: Home was a place where Richie feared he would be forgotten if he didn’t run his mouth and cause trouble. Between his house and school, there was nowhere that Richie felt comfortable. After his first year at Camp High Tide, where he befriended his awkwardly proportioned bunkmates Bill and Eddie, everything changed. It didn’t take much convincing when his parents proposed the idea of sending him annually. That “monster” the campers kept raving about remained an urban legend used to scare the newcomers. The infamous camper disappearances happened decades ago, and nobody was able to present any convincing evidence of the so-called beast in the woods. Besides, every year Richie attended camp, he left in one piece, and so did everybody else.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hey so uh welcome to my awesome first ever IT fanfiction with lots of polyamorous love and creepy crawly eldritch horrors
> 
> i don't know what i'm doing, hope you like it though.
> 
> their appearances are based off of the 2017 cast, albeit older

There was something dangerous lurking in the woods.  
  


Tales woven by the older boys around the campfire painted terrifying visions of a shadowy _thing_ stalking around the edges of the camp, it’s gleaming yellow eyes beckoning boys into the woods in the dead of night. They spun stories of dramatic disappearances, recounting the sounds of desperate screams that kept them awake for nights on end. They claimed that the trees beside the cabins ended up bare, as if something with gigantic claws had shaved the bark clean off. According to the local papers and camp counselors, the many disappearances surrounding Camp High Tide were mere bear or wolf attacks, but the older boys seemed so insistent that it was something inhuman, something violent, something _hungry._  
  


Richie sat with his legs crossed in front of the fire, a hand placed on his chin to keep his head up as the obviously fake horror story droned on. An occasional pinch on the thigh was required to assure that he wouldn’t fall asleep. The older boys always had some stupid gory tale to tell when the sun set; this wasn’t anything new. Richie glanced at Eddie, who appeared simultaneously enthralled and disturbed, as he listened intently to the story.  
  


“Those guys are just trying to make you shit your pants, Eds. Don’t tell me you _actually_ believe this ‘tarded trash.”  
  


“Beep Beep, Richie!” Eddie snapped instantly, slapping Richie’s arm fervently to shut him up. Eddie’s chestnut eyes were trained intently on the storytellers, the orange glow cast from the fire revealing his horrified countenance.  
  


Richie leaned across Eddie’s lap, reaching out to prod the boy on the opposite side of him. “Please, Bill, tell me you also think this is totally dumb.” Richie all but begged, praying that Bill was rational enough to realize that this was nothing more than a scare tactic.  
  


Bill’s eyes darted to Richie, a somewhat guilty expression crossing his features as he offered a shrug of his shoulders. “I mean, they have a p-point. Why haven’t they found any of the m-m-missing kids bodies? Doesn’t th-that sound weird to you?” His voice was hushed, likely in hopes that Eddie wouldn’t hear him.  
  


“Not really. Those fuckin’ wolves are probably just hungry…” Deciding that he had enough of his friends being brainwashed by this bullshit, Richie chose to put an end to it. After flashing a wink at Bill, who didn’t bother to return one, Richie tipped his head back and let out the loudest wolf howl he could muster.  
  
  
Considering that the camp was full of nothing but rambunctious boys, it didn’t take long for the infectious howl to catch on. Soon enough, the storytellers had been drowned out. Campers started to nudge each other and laugh, getting into the spirit and raising the volume of the howl.  
  


When Richie glimpsed at his friends, Eddie and Bill were silent, exchanging looks of concern with one another. 

Whatever.  
  
As far as Richie was concerned, they were being babies about this whole ordeal. Child-gobbling monsters were obviously just myths made up to make pussyboys piss their shorts.  
  


The howl carried on the breeze, encouraging the wolves in the surrounding forests to join in. Soon enough, the night air was filled with the playful jabber of young boys, effectively stopping the horror stories as abruptly as they began.


	2. The Boys Are Back in Town

When Richie Tozier spent his first summer at Camp High Tide, he was only thirteen. Despite endless vehement protests and a series of borderline tantrums, his parents still dumped him at a smelly camp thanks to his “unpleasant attitude” and “vile language.” Though he expected being trapped in a cabin for three months to be a miserable, begrudging experience, Richie found that camp offered more than junior high ever had. Here, the boys were too involved with their hiking and canoeing to make fun of Richie for his thick glasses and comically large teeth. In fact, his awkwardly proportioned bunkmates, Bill and Eddie, didn’t punch or tease him once. The food may have reminded him of prison and the entire radius might have reeked of pungent body odor, but at camp, Richie was just a normal kid, not Bucky Beaver who didn’t know how to shut his trap. After years of being teased and considered a friendless loser at school, staying at a camp where he had friends and a mediocre reputation was the equivalent of striking a goldmine. That summer, several years ago, Richie actually felt like he belonged for the first time in his life.

 

* * *

 

“Boom! Happy four year anniversary, losers!” Richie cried, throwing his arms in the air at the sight of two familiar faces when the door to the cabin swung open on creaky hinges. Nothing inside had changed; the stringy green blankets on the beds and decaying wooden nightstands waited untouched for him. He inhaled deeply, basking in the scent of rotting lumber and mothballs that he’d missed so dearly during the winter. High school was getting more difficult, bullies were getting less gentle, and Richie’s summertime escape was about to get ten times better. Being an older camper meant not having to deal with obnoxious, hovering group leaders, which also meant that they had a better chance of not getting caught when they blew off activities to explore the forest. In short, this summer was going to be nothing less than fucking awesome. “Big Bill! How’s it hanging?”

“Hey, Richie!” Bill greeted with a smile, throwing his lanky arms around his glasses-clad friend. Richie, who had felt rather starved for friendship and affection the past few months, squeezed Bill as tightly as he could without depriving him of oxygen. Eddie was quick to join the hug, his height still somewhat meager compared to the other two boys. Richie took advantage of this, snatching Eddie up into a headlock and delivering a ruthless noogie to his carefully-combed hair.

“How’s it going, Eddie Spaghetti? You’re still as cute and tiny as ever.” Richie teased, a toothy grin spanning across his face as Eddie thrashed around in his arms, screeching like a banshee to be released.

“Let go of me, fricking dickwad!” Finally having wrestled himself loose, Eddie took a moment to smooth out his polo shirt and adjust his cowlick before delivering several playful punches to Richie’s sides and stomach.

Bill snickered into his hand, rolling his eyes at the ridiculous scene unfolding in front of him. “Better b-b-back off, Eddie, you’re go-going to beat him to a p-pulp.” He exclaimed sarcastically, grabbing Eddie’s shoulder and shaking him gently.

Seeing his bunkmates only once a year was never not a shock to Richie. Puberty was always changing their bodies, creating more shapely, chiseled images of them with every passing year. Bill used to be shorter than Richie, but he’d shot up significantly the summer prior. This year, Bill’s auburn hair had grown a little longer, his jaw having become a little more angular, and he’d developed a nice tan. Bill appeared so grown up, it kind of threw Richie for a loop. He certainly wasn’t big or muscular, but his willowy figure had matured, his awkwardly big hands and feet now proportionate to his body. Even Richie felt that he didn’t look as mature as Bill. Neither did Eddie, but he had always looked a smidgen infantile compared to most boys their age, so it wasn’t surprising that he still had a baby face.

“I’ve got a bunch of delightful stories for you blokes. Junior year was absolutely mad!” Richie put on his best impression of an Englishman as he plopped his backpack down on the only empty bed, the same one that had been his for the past four years. A lot of good memories in this bed (a lot of awkward morning wood, too). Richie began to unpack his bag, which had grown more minimalist over time. So many kids stuffed their suitcases in an attempt to bring all the comforts of home to camp, but Richie, on the other hand, longed to be free of the confines of home. Aside from clothes and some basic necessities, everything he needed to feel comfortable was right here, with Eddie and Bill in their dingy little cabin. Was it ridiculous to feel more at home at a summer camp than his in his actual house? Maybe.

“What, did you score a hot girlfriend, Richie?” Bill inquired, plopping down on the bed beside him to watch the ravenette unpack carelessly. His necessities were tossed haphazardly onto his side table: his glasses case, deodorant, toothbrush, and a bottle of lens cleaner.

“As if.” Eddie quipped, swooping into the conversation. His comment earned a swat on the shoulder from Richie as he made his way towards the wardrobe, plopping his myriad of graphic tees and floral print shirts down in his designated drawer. Richie didn’t bother emptying his bag entirely, dropping it on the ground carelessly. There was a soft clink when it collided with the floor, but with a swift kick from a ratty converse, the bag was pushed under the bed.

“Uh, I did too get tons of girls, Eds, including your mom.” Richie pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a delightfully smug expression as Eddie folded his arms and scoffed, a clear indicator that Richie had won this round. “But that’s not what I wanted to tell you guys about...you’ll hear it at the campfire.”

“Way to leave us hanging.” Bill complained, flopping back on Richie’s bed and sprawling out, long arms stretched high above his head. If he didn’t look like a tree before, he certainly did now.

Richie stared down at him and offered a cheeky laugh. “What can I say? I gotta keep my fans wanting more.”

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Richie gazed up at the ceiling, gesticulating wildly with his hands as he and Eddie argued feverishly back and forth. Every so often, he’d jab at the other boy’s side with his elbow to get a rise out of him. “Dude, I swear I am going to TP your house. It’s on my bucket list now.”

  
Eddie scoffed, “You don’t even know where I live!”  
  
“Are we-we-we going to the fire or not?” Bill piped up from the doorway, arms folded as he waited patiently for his friends to accompany him. Richie lifted his head, smirking at the amusing sight of Bill looking like an overworked dad who just wanted his kids to get along.

“Yeah, we are.” Eddie didn’t hesitate, springing up from his spot on the bed and hustling to Bill’s side dutifully. “C’mon, trashmouth.” He gestured with his hand, encouraging Richie to join. Bill’s branch-like arms wrapped around their shoulders, pulling Richie and Eddie in close. Despite how skinny Bill was, being pressed that tightly to him caused a wave of warmth to wash over Richie. It apparently made Eddie feel particularly warm, because when he glanced over, he spotted a rosy flush dusted over the shorter one's freckled cheeks.

“I m-m-missed you guys.” Bill mentioned, his look of delight almost shy as they made their way towards the common area. A similar smile flashed across Richie’s own lips at his friend’s words. It never hurt to hear that he’d been missed, especially when Richie found himself dwelling on the fear of being forgotten while he was away from camp.  
  
“Missed you too--” Eddie and Richie both spoke up at the same time, their voices overlapping. The two boys exchanged shocked looks before scrambling to jinx one another, determined to be the one who was owed a soda.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

The common area of the camp was bustling, boys of all ages conversing in the grass surrounding the fire pit. Despite being outside, once they entered the threshold of teen bodies, the overwhelming scent of puberty and sweat punched them harshly in in the nose. Frankly, camp had never been a particularly pleasant smelling place, but Richie had gotten pretty good at blocking out the nauseating odors.  
  
Catching sight of an empty patch of grass, Bill guided the trio carefully through the seemingly endless sea of campers. Eddie made sure to continuously mutter apologies as he stepped through groups, doing everything in his power not to make contact with anyone. Richie, though, didn’t care that he stomped on a few fingers on his way through.

The heat from the flame washed over them when they plopped down, the night air just cool enough that the warmth felt welcoming, enveloping them like a fuzzy hug. The grass beneath them was damp and soft, though in need of a good mowing. Richie ripped a patch out of the ground, tossing it into the fire and listening to it sizzle faintly as it burned away. The chatter from the boys around them and the chirping crickets in the bushes melted into a soothing white noise. This was what Richie came here for. He could never get enough of it.  
  
As the other boys began to take turns sharing their experiences from the school year, the trio tuned them out, deciding to talk amongst themselves. Being treated normally didn’t necessarily mean being popular; it just meant that they were left alone for the most part, instead of harassed.

“T-T-They closed Georgie’s case a c-couple months ago.” Bill began, his tone somber at the mention of his brother. Richie had learned that the little boy in all of the photographs on Bill’s bedside table was his younger brother, Georgie, who had gone missing several years ago. The police never figured out what happened to him, and apparently, they weren’t ever planning to. It really seemed to consume Bill, so Richie and Eddie knew not to talk about it unless he brought it up. “They’re c-convinced he’s dead, but I don’t think so.” Bill bit down on his thumb, gazing wistfully into the flames as he spoke. Richie hadn’t noticed it before, but in the orange light, Bill looked handsome, especially when he was in deep thought. It appeared as though Eddie had noticed it as well, an endearing look in his eyes as he stared at their friend. Bill sighed, waving his hand to dismiss the conversation. “It doesn’t matter.” Bill mumbled, picking absentmindedly at his fingertips before turning his head to face the others.

“You can talk about it, if you want.” Eddie prompted softly, looking rather concerned as Bill brushed off the topic. Richie wouldn’t have mind listening in longer either; not only did he value Bill’s feelings, but hearing him talk was almost therapeutic. Despite his stutter, every word that came out of his mouth left Richie hanging on the edge of his seat quietly, eager to hear more. Unlike when Eddie was speaking, Richie never chose to interrupt Bill.

When Bill caught sight of their intent gazes, an infectious, delighted smile spanned his face that left Richie and Eddie beaming in return. “Thanks g-guys, but there’s nothing I can do about it while I’m not home. There’s no point in d-d-dwelling on it.” Bill cracked his knuckles, still fiddling anxiously with his fingers. Richie took note of how long and slender they were, which matched Bill’s figure perfectly. “Maybe I-I-I’ll just became a detective one day or-or something, who knows?” He snorted and shook his head, seeming to find that idea rather amusing. “What did you guys do this year?”

“I started a food fight at school.” Richie mentioned, not holding back the proud grin at the memory. “That doggone principal was fixin’ to suspend me!” The thought of being suspended never sounded like a bad one, considering all the time Richie felt he was wasting in school. “I don’t reckon my parents gave a flyin’ fuck, though.” Despite slipping into his comical southern drawl, his words were far from joking. The prideful expression slowly fell, morphing into a more disappointed grimace.

“God, I wish my mom would just stop caring for two seconds.” Eddie chimed in, letting out a sigh at the mere mention of his mother. When Richie found out that Eddie had a smother instead of a mother, everything about him made perfect sense: the polo, the asthma, the short stature. He felt somewhat stupid for not having realized it sooner. “I almost had to break her arms to get her to stop hugging me when I got out of the car this morning."   
  
“Ooh, I’ll take your place Eddie.” Richie all but moaned, offering a wink and a provocative wiggle of his tongue between two fingers. “I’d get to feel her jugs when we hugged.” The comment effectively earned a smack on his knee, which was well-deserved and completely unsurprising. Richie couldn’t help but chuckle into his hand at his own immature joke. It never got old watching a flush rise to Eddie’s cheeks when Richie poked fun at him.

“Are you hearing this, Bill? I’m being verbally assaulted by fartbreath over here!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

“Quiet down, nerd!” Somebody called from the crowd before Bill could respond, effectively shutting Eddie up.

Bill shook his head, extending his arms once again to pull Richie and Eddie in close. “Can you guys not f-fight like cat and dog for o-o-once?” He snorted, having trouble hiding the amusement that was creeping onto his face. As obnoxious as he and Eddie could be when they got together, Richie had a feeling that Bill enjoyed the chaos that came with being friends with them. “Y-Y-You’re going to give me gray hairs.” 

“Your face gives me gray hairs, Bill.” Richie responded almost instantaneously, letting his head loll over onto Bill’s shoulder. “You know you love it.” Bill smelled vaguely of pine, likely from his deodorant. He’d been wearing the same brand since they met. Richie breathed deep, finding that between the comforting scent of Bill and the burnt campfire, he was becoming rather sleepy. While the other boys chatted on and on about themselves, the trio sat quietly, basking in the comfort of each other’s company. Despite having been away from each other for so long, they were always been able to get back into the swing of their friendship effortlessly. It was almost as if an unseen force pulled them closer with each passing year.

“What do you think this summer has in store for us?” Eddie inquired after a lengthy, comfortable silence. He kept his voice low, clearly in an attempt to appease the boy who had snapped at him earlier.

Bill was quiet for a long moment, taking the time to mull over his answer. For once, Richie decided to hold his tongue, allowing Bill to speak first. “I d-d-don’t know, but I think it’ll be good. It’s n-never not good when I’m with you guys.”

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Around eleven, the fire was doused, leaving nothing but damp, charred wood where the huge flame had once stood. The majority of boys had started to fall victim to sleepiness, reducing the loud buzz of conversation to a subtle hum. Richie was struggling to keep his eyes open, Bill’s bony shoulder and rhythmic breathing having lulled him into a limbo between sleep and consciousness. The other two seemed to be in a similar boat, Eddie letting out a yawn and Bill following suit. It wasn’t surprising. Camp High Tide was out in the middle of nowhere and it had been a long day of travel for everyone.

Bill jostled his shoulder around, letting out a hefty sigh as Richie lifted his head. “Tired already, R-Richie?” Bill snickered, catching the tip of his tongue between his teeth as he grinned at an exhausted-looking version of their friend. Eddie poked his head out from the other side of Bill, appearing equally as entertained.

“Don’t bully me, you slimes.” Richie muttered in defense, bringing a hand up under his glasses to rub at one of his eyes. His eyelids felt as heavy as concrete, weighed down by the clutches of sleep. “Let’s go back to the cabin already.” 

With that, the trio stood, Richie taking the opportunity to pull a gag and pretend to fall asleep while walking, which didn’t amuse Bill and Eddie as much as it worried them, both boys clambering to help him hold him up when they noticed him threatening to tumble over.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

“Do you guys wanna dogpile?” Eddie asked as he pushed the door open, causing the light from the lamp inside to flood out into the darkness. “We can push the beds together.” As younger kids, the trio had grown particularly fond of creating a huge, sprawling bed to share. The tiny, dinky mattresses that the camp provided didn’t exactly give growing boys much room to spread out or move around.

“Sure!” Bill nodded his head enthusiastically, extending an arm to nudge Richie. The glasses-clad boy rubbed at his eyes, letting out a groan once he realized that Bill was wordlessly asking for help moving the beds together.

Bumbling over lazily, Richie huffed and pushed his bed across the floor, cringing at the unpleasant scraping sound of wood against wood. As soon as the headboards knocked together with a clunk, Richie all but threw himself onto the bed, letting out a pleased sigh at the feel of a pillow beneath his head. Richie took off his glasses and placed them on the side table, far too tired to bother changing his clothes. 

It didn’t take Bill long to join him, slipping into the bathroom and exiting shortly after, donned in soft flannel pants and a worn t-shirt. Eddie was the one who seemed to have the most energy, taking the time to brush his teeth and wash his face before getting into bed.

Once he plopped down on the megabed, Eddie reached over to pull the lamp cord. The trio let out a simultaneous sigh at the relieving darkness. “G’night Bill, Richie.” Eddie mentioned, flopping back onto the bed with enough force to shake Richie awake slightly. Wordlessly, the trio huddled in close, legs tangled like vines around one another. In the dark, it was hard to tell where one boy’s body began and another ended. Bill managed to mutter a soft response to Eddie, but Richie was far too close to the threshold of sleep to bother speaking. Between the smell of Bill and Eddie and their warm, comforting presence against his body, Richie was out cold in a matter of moments.


End file.
